I was in Gelsenkirchen for the US-Czech match and can confirm, there is not a whole lot to do in town. Nevertheless, the advantage of Gelsenkirchen being a small town is that that atmosphere before the match is fantastic.
If the match I saw there is anything to go by, you have to make sure you get the tram/bus up from the centre of town to the stadium early, because there were simply not enough trams.
If you are looking for a good night out, stay in Cologne and just travel up to Gelsenkirchen on match day.
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